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March 30, 2013

Hawks Scores Six Runs in Baseball's Doubleheader Sweep of Tusculum

SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba won ends of a South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader from visiting Tusculum on Saturday afternoon at Newman Park. The 19th-ranked Catawba Indians improve to 27-11 overall and 15-6 in the SAC. The Pioneers fall to 21-13 and 12-9.

Catawba rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win the opener. Keaton Hawks (Lexington, NC/E. Davidson HS) broke a 9-9 tie in the bottom of the eighth as he tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a wild pitch. It was the third run scored by Hawks in the game.

Tusculum had bolted to a 6-0 lead after an inning and a half. The Pioneers plated four runs in the first on just two hits as Catawba starter Ross Whitley (Mooresville, NC/Lake Norman HS) walked four and could not get out of the first inning. Joe Polichetti (Dunkirk, NY) had a two-run single in the frame. Tusculum added two more in the second on a groundout by Heath Comerford (Athens, TN) and a sacrifice fly by Trey Drewery (Vale, NC).

Cameron Cockman (Pleasant Garden, NC/SE Guilford HS/UNC Wilmington) got Catawba on the board with a two-run double in the second. Chris Dula (Troutman, NC/S. Iredell HS) doubled home a run in the third as the Indians got three runs to trim the deficit to 6-5. Another run had scored on a wild pitch and a groundout by Paul Kronenfeld (Greensboro, NC/Woodberry Forest HS/Georgia Tech) got in the final run of the inning.

The teams traded runs in the fourth and fifth innings before Kronenfeld put Catawba on top 9-8 with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth. Tusculum pulled even in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Matt Henriksen (Hingham, MA).

Austin Moyer (Greensboro, NC/SE Guilford HS/USC Upstate) earned the win for Catawba has he pitch an inning and a third of scoreless relief. He allowed one hit and struck out one. Ryan McClintock (Matthews, NC/Providence HS) notched his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.

Cockman and Kronenfeld each drove in three runs for Catawba in the opener. Blake Houston (Mt. Ulla, NC/S. Rowan HS) had three hits. Henriksen drove in three for Tusculum, while Polichetti, Comerford and Tripper Crisson (Lincolnton, NC) had three hits.

John Tuttle (Kannapolis, NC/Brown HS) threw a complete game in the nightcap for Catawba to improve to 7-4. He allowed a run off three hits and fanned five. Tusculum scored its lone run on a two-out double by Henriksen which cut into a 2-0 Catawba lead.

The Indians went on top in the third. Houston singled home the first run and Dula added a sacrifice fly. After the Pioneers cut the lead in half, Catawba pushed across three runs in the fifth. Houston plated a run on a groundout, while Zach Smith (Salisbury, NC/E. Rowan HS/Pitt CC) singled home a run and Cockman drew a bases loaded walk.

Tuttle kept Tusculum quiet after the run in the fourth as he sat down the final 10 batters he faced after the run-scoring double. Kronenfeld singled home the final run of the game in the sixth.

Hawks collected three hits for Catawba, including two doubles, and scored three runs in the nightcap. Houston had a couple of RBI. Comerford had two of three Pioneer hits.

Catawba travels to Mount Olive on Tuesday for a doubleheader at 4 p.m.